


Amaranthine

by IseliaDragonwill



Series: Where There Is Light [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys Kissing, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romantic Fluff, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 04:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IseliaDragonwill/pseuds/IseliaDragonwill
Summary: While Somnus is away, Ardyn will...wonder why Gilgamesh keeps avoiding him?





	Amaranthine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noctglaive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noctglaive/gifts).



> Happy birthday Metty dear! I hope you can forgive this being a day late.
> 
> Inspired by [this lovely gift art](https://twitter.com/mettydoodles/status/1127589411523321856) I received. When I saw it, the little fic writer in my mind got excited for the first time in ages. Plus like...look at them? Have you ever seen anything more wholesome?
> 
> So anyways, I'm bad at summaries and writing notes to people and feelings. I hope this brings a smile to your face. <3

The halls of the Citadel were blessedly silent, save for the soft tinkling of bangles echoing off the stone corridors. Somnus had left a few days earlier, taking a large contingent of soldiers on a campaign that Ardyn had found questionable, but didn’t see fit to argue. He’d long since learned to pick his battles, as it were, and though he found the idea of bloodshed rather unnecessary, it was hard to argue that securing their northern borders was an unwise idea. So, off Somnus had gone, leaving naught but Ardyn, his servants and Gilgamesh.

Ardyn _had_ fought that battle. It would be foolish to leave him without protection, he had said to Somnus with a calculating gleam in his eyes, even if the real reason he sought to keep Gilgamesh behind was simply to enjoy his company uninhibited. But what Somnus didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, save for his ego as he sulked off after begrudgingly indulging Ardyn’s request.

To the untrained eye, Gilgamesh had remained calm and impassive throughout the exchange, but Ardyn had caught the glint in his eye that betrayed how amusing he’d found the entire affair.

He suppressed the chuckle that bubbled up in his chest as he rounded the corner, continuing on his way through the empty halls. Gilgamesh did have his own particular way of keeping things interesting, due in part to his impressive discipline and oftentimes stoic demeanor. It made all the little cracks in his armor that much more noticeable. At least, it did to Ardyn, who was intimately acquainted with all the subtle ways Gilgamesh expressed himself, whether he was aware of them or not. 

Which made his behavior over the past few days all the more puzzling.

It went without saying that the two of them were not free to indulge in their affections, keeping their relationship to clandestine encounters under the cover of night. Even if it hadn’t been for Ardyn’s standing, a love between two men was generally frowned upon by the populace and while not outlawed, did carry with it a healthy degree of scorn. Secrecy was unavoidable. However, there was something unspoken between them–mutually assured and undeniable. It flared to life whenever they found themselves free of the threat of discovery and behaviors, once tempered by risk, fell victim to a desire for normalcy. 

Except for this time. Gilgamesh seemed to be avoiding him–with a stunning degree of success if Ardyn was to be honest. When he wasn’t holed up in his quarters, Gilgamesh was out in the training yard demonstrating some of the sloppiest swordsmanship Ardyn had ever seen from him. At one point he had even taken one of the chocobos for a ride into town without so much as a goodbye, not returning until long after dusk, in spite of his adversity to traveling the roads at night. It was clear something was on his mind, but Ardyn couldn’t for the life of him figure out what.

Stranger still, rather than coming by Ardyn’s quarters on his morning rounds as per the usual, Gilgamesh’s personal servant had been at his door instead, rapping her delicate knuckles against the heavy wood until Ardyn dragged himself out of bed. There was a slight wrinkle to her petite nose as she passed along Gilgamesh’s request for Ardyn to meet him in the garden, which he took as a hint to do something about his rather unkempt appearance. It was the first time in days that Ardyn cared to make himself presentable–with Gilgamesh having been so oddly distant since Somnus left–and he fully intended to make him realize what he had been missing.

He pulled on a pair of brown suede pants and a white tunic that laced over his chest, smiling at many a memory of Gilgamesh’s fingers finding their way under those very ties–loosening and pulling them apart as he held Ardyn’s gaze in his own, at once both reverent and choked with need. The servant girl had helped with his hair, weaving two braids on each side of his head and fastening them together with a golden clasp, tying back the rest of his hair at the base of his neck. 

Ardyn mulled over his thoughts as she worked, interrupted only by the occasional hum or tug at his scalp. Through his growing excitement at the prospect of seeing Gilgamesh again, he still mourned the precious loss of time they could have spent together. It was enough that duty and expectation kept them apart, this was a blow Ardyn hadn’t been prepared to take and though he knew it wasn’t a conscious rejection by any means, it still stung like one. Not knowing the reason why didn’t help matters, but he supposed he would find out soon enough.

Soon enough, as it so happened, was now.

A black curtain was drawn between the two stone columns that marked the entrance to the garden, beams of light framing the edges of the cloth in an ethereal glow. The only time the garden was closed off like this was for meetings that required the utmost privacy. Free to wander the stone paths through sprawling green, captivated by the sight and scent of flowers, it was enough to put most anyone at ease. Even Ardyn wasn’t immune; the tension in his body bleeding into the ground as he pulled back the curtain and stepped into the sun. 

It was in moments like this that Ardyn wondered how a person could love so much and not collapse under the enormity of it all. When Gilgamesh rose from the stone bench where he sat and turned to face him, Ardyn’s breath caught in his throat, much like the motes of light caught in the thick, silver braid resting over Gilgamesh’s bare shoulder. There was no question in Ardyn’s mind that he’d always found Gilgamesh to be quite a handsome man, but there was something in the way he carried himself now, with an air of purpose and an expression flushed with wonder, that left Ardyn unable to act, only to follow as Gilgamesh led him to the bench where he’d sat and knelt before him. After days of longing for his company, afforded only glimpses in passing, seeing Gilgamesh now in his finery and that soft, little half-smile Ardyn loved so much was akin to breathing for the first time, to coming home–overwhelming. 

“If this was all some elaborate scheme to sweep me off my feet and win me over, I concede.” Ardyn laid his hands over Gilgamesh’s on his lap, any residual nervousness leaving him in a chuckle under his breath. “Though next time, I would appreciate if you didn’t avoid me at every turn.”

“I apologize.” Large, calloused thumbs worked gentle circles into the tops of Ardyn’s thighs. “Would you forgive me if I said it was for good reason?”

Ardyn huffed through his nose, but his smile never left his lips. “You know I’m always willing to forgive you. How quickly? That depends on the reason.” He teased. “Something has been on your mind, that much is apparent.”

“Was it?” Gilgamesh’s gaze flitted to the ground as he tried to contain the rising blush in his cheeks. 

“Gil, I can’t recall a time you’ve ever lost to a training dummy. Yes, it was.” Ardyn leaned forward to give him a quick peck. “But I’ll spare any blows to your dignity and won’t tell a soul. Promise.”

That pulled a bout of laughter from them both, full-bodied and carefree, as if no time had been lost between them–a balm to the trials of recent days. 

“So, are you going to tell me what’s been going on?” Ardyn asked, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye.

The expression on Gilgamesh’s face, Ardyn had seen echoes of it a scant few times. It was not unlike the face of a man headed for battle, but there was something profound that set it apart and assured Ardyn of its importance and meaning. His eyes spoke of fear, of fates unknown, and most notably, of hope. Under his violet gaze, Ardyn wasn’t sure who felt more vulnerable between the two of them.

“I ask that you hear me out before you answer.”

Ardyn managed a slow, deliberate nod. 

With a deep breath, one final moment to steel himself, Gilgamesh turned his palms up to take Ardyn’s hands. “Ardyn…” He paused to wet his lips before continuing. “You deserve so much more than a love confined to the shadows. You deserve someone that can cherish you openly and whose affections you can return without fear of consequence. I cannot give you that.” 

Ardyn was about to protest but found himself silenced by a warm palm on his cheek and the soft pad of a thumb brushing over his lower lip. 

“But I do love you–with my whole heart and more than anything I’ve ever known. I want nothing more to than to protect you and would give my life to that end. Even if there would come a day when I could no longer call myself your Shield, my feelings would remain the same.” 

Gilgamesh reached for a small pouch tied at his belt, pulling the drawstrings apart and hesitated then, as Ardyn counted every breath by the rise and fall of his chest, watched every thought that flashed through those amethyst eyes he so often lost himself in. “Gil? You’re making me nervous, which as you might know is quite a feat.”

There was no answer, just warmth as Gilgamesh took Ardyn’s hand in both of his, pressing two cool circles into his palm. His amber eyes widened, lips parting in shock. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re trying to–”

“Propose.” 

With one word the world itself faded away, leaving only the two of them. The rings were light in Ardyn’s hand, but carried a weight in so much more than gold, grounding Ardyn as his mind swam with every memory, every sentiment he’d ever wanted to express to Gilgamesh and many more that he had. Two bands–one inlaid with topaz, the other with amethyst. There was no question of the meaning behind it; no question that yes, they belonged to each other and no one else. 

Ardyn didn’t even need to consider his answer. Their bond already ran so steadfast and deep, forged in both loyalty and love. A ring wouldn’t change that, but it was the sentiment behind the gesture, the knowledge that Gilgamesh would choose him above all else, in spite of the danger and the secrecy–that was what brought Ardyn to his knees. He threw his arms around Gilgamesh’s broad shoulders, holding fast to the rings clutched within his palm but more so to this utterly precious man before him, whom he loved with all his heart; laughter and tears alike piercing through the veil of uncertainty draped over them both and coming together to create the most heartachingly beautiful sound. 

“Ardyn?” Two large, calloused hands gathered him closer, impossibly so. “I don’t want to make assumptions on your behalf…”

“Of course, Gil. Did you really think I would say no?” Ardyn murmured.

Gilgamesh gave him a brief squeeze, then helped pull Ardyn to his feet. “It’s not that…”

The look in his violet eyes said everything. It wasn’t Ardyn’s affections he had been worried about, but that inescapable matter of standing, the fear of being caught and the reality that even with those rings, a marriage recognized by the populace would never be possible between them. While Ardyn had pondered those concerns on many nights when he laid awake in bed, Gilgamesh sleeping soundly beside him, his conclusions were always the same.

“I know it’s less than ideal.” He took Gilgamesh’s hand and slipped the topaz band on his finger. “If I could, I’d make sure everyone knew that I was yours and you were mine. You do know how I love to show off, after all.” The way that Gilgamesh rolled his eyes at that comment was nothing less than expected, Ardyn chuckling under his breath at him in return. “But the most important thing to me has always been and will always be having you at my side. The rest doesn’t matter.”

Ardyn pressed the amethyst band into Gilgamesh’s palm and closed his hand around it. “Now are you going to put that on my finger or continue to make me wait?” 

Gilgamesh snorted through his nose, a faint, exasperated smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he took Ardyn’s hand and eased the amethyst band onto his finger. “Ardyn Lucis Caelum, you are insufferable.”

“Would you have me change though? I think it’s more fun this way.”

The ring fit perfectly. Ardyn held up his hand to admire it, sparkling purple and gold in the sunlight. He was already beginning to forget that there was ever a time where his finger had been bare; that even had it not been visible, there had always been something there from the very start, from when Gilgamesh came into his life. This was simply a tangible reminder.

Standing on his toes and wrapping his arms around Gilgamesh’s neck, Ardyn pulled him closer, their foreheads touching and Gilgamesh’s hands on his hips as they stood there, entranced by the mere presence of each other. 

“I love you, Gil.”

Their lips met then, Ardyn unsure if it was himself or Gilgamesh that closed what little space remained between them. In the end, he supposed it didn’t really matter. And as his eyes fluttered shut, losing himself in a sea of stolen moments and precious memories, bathing in the warmth of the sun and Gilgamesh’s embrace alike, he could hear the words Gilgamesh so readily offered in his touch sinking into skin, etching themselves on his heart. 

_‘I love you too, Ardyn.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://iseliadragonwill.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/FallenIsel)!
> 
> I'm not as active on Tumblr anymore because of the "adult content" fiasco, but I'm on [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/iseliadragonwill) now!


End file.
